


Fireworks

by Sabishiioni



Category: Leverage
Genre: Family Feels, Friends to maybe lovers, Multi, PTSD, Triggers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-05
Updated: 2016-07-05
Packaged: 2018-07-21 15:18:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7392814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sabishiioni/pseuds/Sabishiioni
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Fourth of July is a wonderful thing for many Americans. For some, though, it can be a day of terror full of memories that haunt the darkest recesses of the mind.</p><p>Or, how Parker and Hardison find out about a trigger for Elliot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fireworks

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Leverage  
> Warnings: Read them, including the ones in bold  
> Follow Me (My Personal Blog): [Tumblr](http://sabishiioni.tumblr.com/)  
> Follow PI (My Writing Blog): [Tumblr](http://projectinsanitywriting.tumblr.com/)  
> Mindless Babble: So this was completed back in like December but I wanted to wait until today to post it. Of course, I had to get sick this weekend because my body hates me. It's still the Fourth here so I made it.
> 
> Also, Google Docs hates Eliot's name and kept trying to auto correct it. I think I got them all but if you see one, please let me know. Grammarly is becoming my friend.

“I want to go see the fireworks this year.”

Alec Hardison looked up from his laptop to gaze at his beloved. “We see them every year, Babe.”

“Yeah, but we usually just watch from the roof. This year I want to do the whole fair thing and go to the actual show!” Parker scowled as she stared down her hacker. “And I want Eliot to come with us.”

At that, Hardison tilted his head. “Not sure he’d like that. He doesn’t seem to be the type to do the tourist thing.”

“But he’s family!”

Ah, there it is. Hardison grinned inwardly, now understanding what was going through their mastermind/thief’s brain. They both knew what it was like to grow up without a real family. Now that Nate and Sophie were gone, Parker felt the need to keep what family she had together and if that meant doing silly things like having a family outing on the Fourth of July, then that was what was going to happen.

“Well, we can ask him,” he carefully replied. “Might be better if you ask him, though. He responds better to you.”

He tried to keep his tone neutral but knew he failed when Parker gave him that sad, understanding smile. Hardison knew he loved Eliot just as much as he loved Parker but an appreciation for breathing kept him from acting on it. Parker could understand- she felt the same way, loving both of her boys fiercely but only able to act on that love with one. 

Parker sat down at the table with him. “I think he loves you too, but he’s scared. Love seems to come at a steep price for him. He’s had to learn to lock his heart in ways even a pair of the world’s greatest thieves can’t pick.”

Hardison smiled. Nate had picked his successor well. “Then maybe…we just need to learn the right combination to unlock it.”

***

To anyone that didn’t know him, Eliot Spencer appeared to be completely at ease. To those who had known him for over five years like Hardison had, it was obvious the man would rather be anywhere but at the Fourth of July festival. The hitter was acting less like family and more like their personal bodyguard.

“Eliot, would you please relax?! This isn’t a job- we’re supposed to be having fun!”

Doing the exact opposite, Eliot glowered at the blond who was currently sporting a headband with red, white and blue streamers on bobbing springs and in the possession of a stick of cotton candy. “Parker, we’re in the middle of a crowded field where any one of us could be recognized. I don’t see how this could be defined as fun.”

Parker stopped her bouncing and gave Eliot a considering look. “Did you want to leave?”

Eliot did that special huff of annoyance reserved for his teammates. Hardison knew that sigh. For as much as Eliot wanted to say yes, he wouldn’t simply because that would disappoint Parker. His loyalty to them outweighed his fears and concerns. Hardison felt a tug on his heart.

“Look, man, we’ll just finish this line of booths and then we can go find a spot to watch the fireworks, okay?” Hardison laid a hand on the other man’s shoulder just in time to feel the slight tremor the word ‘fireworks’ caused. He was about to say something when Eliot ducked out from under the hand and stepped back.

“Fine. But we’re getting some real food into the two of you,” he growled as he took in the surrounding food booths.

Hardison blinked, wanting to ask if Eliot was eating as well, but the man had already started making his way towards a BBQ booth.

***

Parker was nearly vibrating off the blanket they had spread out on the sand to sit on. Hardison glanced back at Eliot in time to see the hitter giving the pair a rare soft smile which disappeared as soon as he noticed the hacker was watching. He sighed, letting his attention wander back to where they were checking a speaker a few feet away. Darkness had fallen around them and the show would be starting soon.

“We’ll be right under them!” Parker said, the excitement in her voice causing it to go up a few octaves. 

“Not quite, Babe.” Hardison touched her hand, trying to get her focus. “They’ll be shooting them off over the water.”

“Still! It’ll be like that time you made stars in the command center!”

Hardison smiled, the memory of that night still filling him with warmth. “Yeah, I guess it will kinda be like that…”

“But this time, it’ll be the three of us!” Parker’s bright smile faded as she turned to completely silent man behind them. 

Eliot sat still as a statue, his eyes closed and his breathing slightly faster than normal. Hardison’s scowl matched Parker’s, the warmth from just seconds before dissipating like morning mist on a summer’s day. It was painfully obvious that one-third of their family was less than excited to be there, though the hacker had a suspicion of why.

“Hey, Eliot, man- you alright?”

“Fine.” It came out strained, like when Hardison or Parker worked on destroying that last nerve.

Hardison opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by the loud boom of the first firework. His eyes were automatically drawn to the sky and a smile of wonder appeared on his lips. He heard Parker’s squeal of happiness as he felt her hand tighten over his. 

It was easy to get lost in the awe-inspiring display set to tasteful music. It was only when there was a short pause between songs that Hardison noticed it, the keening that had thus far been drowned out by the loud explosions overhead. Horror flooded his body as he turned to find the man who held possession of half his heart (even if he didn’t know it) as the source of the sound.

Eliot had drawn his knees to his chest, his elbows on either side of them as his hands covered his ears. His eyes were shut but not tightly enough to keep the tears in check. His expression was one Hardison had never seen on his friend’s face and one he hoped to never see again. To see such raw terror on Eliot; it was unreal. Even when facing the threat of a dirty bomb, the man had been a rock.

Parker had realized their friend’s distress in the same instant and reacted in a way that would have made Sophie proud. Reaching out, she pulled the completely unresisting hitter into her arms, as Hardison went digging in the backpack they carried their gear in. She gently rubbed circles on his back trying but failing to soothe the man. She felt the tremors of panic wracking the solid body under her hands and cast a fearful look at Hardison, desperate for her lover to have an idea.

As usual, the man came through for her in a surprisingly low-tech way. He gently pried Eliot’s hands from his ears and slipped a pair of noise canceling headphones attached to an MP3 player over them. It took a few moments, but the hitter’s body started to relax as his favorite country music drowned out the sounds of the fireworks. It took several minutes before he opened his eyes. By that time, Hardison had packed up everything but the blanket.

Without words, the thief and the hacker got their hitter to his feet and helped him navigate the crowd. It was a testament to how badly Eliot was shaken that he allowed them to guide him back to Lucille. Parker sat in the back with Eliot while Hardison drove them to the brewpub.

“How did you know to pack these headphone?” Parker asked still holding the trembling body.

“I just had my suspicions.” He glanced in the rearview mirror at the pair. “I’m thinking Eliot suffers from PTSD and loud explosions are a trigger for him.”

“But he’s been around explosions before. He’s even caused more than a few…”

“Yeah, but those times, he had some control in how and when they went off.”

Parker regarded the man in her arms. The shuddering was slowing and his breathing was becoming less ragged. It was easy to forget that Eliot was only human with how strong he always operated around them. She gently removed the headphones and ran her hand through the thick hair.

“We’re almost home.”

Eliot slowly sat up, keeping his eyes downcast. “I…I’m sorry I ruined your night.”

“You didn’t ruin anything.” Parker lightly touched his cheek. “I’m sorry you felt you had to go.”

“You know I would do anything for the two of you…” He tilted his head, leaning into the touch.

“But you shouldn’t have to feel like you’re obligated to do something that sends you into a panic attack,” Hardison said as he came to a stop at a red light.

“I thought I had a handle on it…”

“Eliot, despite what you may think, you aren’t a robot...though that would be kinda cool, like a male version of the Major…”

“Hardison…”

A shaky smile appeared on Eliot’s lips, which was the intended reaction Parker was hoping for. She saw Hardison looking in the rearview mirror and gave him a small nod. The man grinned and returned his focus back on the road.

“We...we were escorting a convoy when...when we were...attacked.” 

Parker felt her hitter unconsciously trying to get closer to her, as if seeking protection from the memory. She gathered him up in her arms, giving him as much of a shield as she could. Risking a light kiss to the top of his head, the mastermind thief was rewarded with Eliot continuing.

“It took us over a week to make it back. Most of us didn’t.” He took a shaky breath before continuing. “They had me in counseling but it wasn’t working. So they tried something else…”

Parker bit her lip glancing up in time to see that Hardison had driven past the brewpub and was circling the block. She felt her heart fill with love for the man, the one who had grown so much in the past years. The man who realized that if they stopped, they would lose this moment and this moment needed to happen no matter how painful it was.

“What did they try?”

“Black ops.”

Parker swore she could hear her lover’s teeth grinding in anger. Or perhaps it was her own teeth grinding. The fury that coursed through her like blood burned under her skin. How dare they send a man who had lost so much and barely clung to the one thing he still owned on suicidal missions? Sure, it was thanks to these mission that he met Toby, but still!

The silence hung in the air, an invisible fog thick with tension. Parker didn’t need to ask. Anyone could see how well that worked out for the man. Eliot’s demons were with him, haunting every dream and following him in each waking moment. 

Hardison pulled into their parking spot at the pub and turned off the van. He got out and helped Parker with a still unresisting Eliot inside. It was only when they got to the bedroom that he put up a mild protest.

“No Eliot, you’re staying with us tonight,” Parker said as she tugged him into the room.

She watched as Hardison gathered up his courage and wrapped his arms around Eliot from behind. “Nothing has to happen tonight...unless you want it to.”

A myriad of emotions played across the hitter’s face- shock, anger, fear and then finally grateful acceptance. Slowly, he raised his hands to cover the dark ones that rested just below his rib cage, though his eyes never left Parker’s. She could see the apprehension there, his fear of ruining what they had.

“It’s alright, Eliot. Tonight, we’ll just sleep. Then you can make us pancakes in the morning and we can see what happens after that.”

Her smile, along with the tightening of the arms around him seemed to convince the hitter. Within minutes, the three of them were in various sleepwear and snuggling under the comforter in the air conditioned room. Parker made sure their hitter was between them, ignoring all his protests.

“Eliot you have to promise to tell us if something is a trigger for you,” Parker said, tucking her head under his chin, smiling when she felt his arms wrap around her.

“Or if something bothers you, man. We need to know this stuff.” Hardison shuffled closer to Eliot, pressing his chest to the other man’s back.

“I didn’t know…” Eliot sighed. “I’ll try, though.”

“That’s all we ask,” Parker mumbled, already drifting off to sleep. “Good night Hardison, Eliot…”

“G’night, Babe.” Hardison nuzzled the thick mane of hair. “G’night, Parker.”

Parker grinned sleepily, practically feeling Eliot’s eyes roll. Still, her heart soared as he mumbled something she thought might have been a ‘good night’ to both of them. Tomorrow was a new day, and she would make sure it would be the day that two became three.


End file.
